The Portland daily press., 1887-05-13
THE CIVIL SERVICE.
The Examination Held Yesterday and
What 1t Covered.

AN examination was held at the Custom
mouse Yesterday OF applicants for positions
IN the departmental service at Washington
ana the places of weigher and gauger and
storekeeper in the customs service. The ex-
animation was conducted by w. II. Webster,
chief examiner of the civil service commis-
sion and the local board consisting of Bion
Bradbury, chairman. Charles w. Roberts.
secretary; Horatio Hight and Edward p.
Pierce.
For the departmental service, eleven per-
sons were examined. There were three
ladies and eight men. Of these the ladies
and one gentleman took limited examin-
alton; five gentlemen took the general ex-
mlnation, three others, including two of
those who took the general, took a special
pension examination and one was examin-
ed for the position of assistant examiner in
the patent office. Four of the applicants are
college graduates, one being from Colby,
two from Dartm outh and one from Bates.
None OF these applicants are Portland peo-
pie.
Those who pass the general examination
may be certified for appointment to the posi-
year. Those who pass the limited examin-
alton may. be certified as copyists at
salary of 5000 year.
To pass the special pension examination
one must know, in addition to the common
school branches, the law of evidence and
pension law. On passing the candidate may
be certified to position paying $14O0 a year.
The examination for certifcation to the pen
sion department of course includes ques-
lions in physics, technics, chemistry, the
higher mathematics and mechanical draw
ing.
To any one desiring it the civil service
commission at Washington will furnish
samples of the questions which are asked in
these examinations An ordinary common
school education, however, is sufficient to
enable candidate to pass the general ex-
animation as will be seen by rule seven
which specifies: LIST, photography, penman-
ship and copying; I'd, arithmetic. funda-
mental rules, fractions and percentage; Sd,
interest, discount and elements OF book
keeping and of accounts; 4th, elements of
the English language, letter writing and the
proper construction of sentences; 9Th, ele-
ments of the geography, history and govern
ment Of the United States, as the subjects
on which the candidates are to be examined
Those who desire to pass the limited ex-
animation are required to pass only the lst
and 2d of these subjects with letter writing
from the fourth subject.
AT the customs examination seven men an
peared. Three were examined for store
keepers, the others for weighers and gaugers.
Some were from Portland, others from diff
ferent parts of the State, west of the Kenne-
bee They were examined on most of the
subjects embraced in the general depart
mental examination, for weighers and
gaugers such practical technical questions
being included as would naturally relate
to that department. There was nothing in
the examinations which are given for the
customs service in the State of Maine, that
would be beyond the capacity of person
who has had the advantages of an ordinary
common school education. Surveyor Pierce
says at the examination last year seyera,
college graduates complained that there were
many questions so simple that they had not
looked up the subjects for years, and would
have been better pleased with questions such
as would have been given in college ex-
animation,